A father and son became trapped in the wreckage “for a considerable amount of time”, court documents said. Meldrum was taken to Dunedin Hospital where a test revealed a blood-alcohol level of 145mg, almost three times the legal limit.
When questioned by police, he said he did not realise he had been on the wrong side of the road.
The man involved in the crash sustained a cracked vertebrae and his son suffered significant bruising to his lower body along with internal soft tissue damage. They both spent the night in hospital.
Counsel Brendan Stephenson said the defendant felt “absolutely horrid about the harm he caused” and was remorseful.
Since the accident, Meldrum had suffered with his mental health and was forced to reassess his relationship with alcohol.
“He has been isolating to an extreme level from all manners of society,” Mr Stephenson said.
“A big part of that is because he is trying to come to grips with the offending and the harm he has caused.”
A positive restorative justice meeting was held between Meldrum and his victims in which he attempted to understand what he could do to “put this right”, the court heard.
“What is coming to light, in a very severe way, are the issues he has with alcohol addiction that need to be addressed,” Mr Stephenson said.
The defendant had one previous conviction for drink driving from 2019 and claimed to have ceased drinking since the accident.
Meldrum was convicted of drink driving causing injury and disqualified from driving for two years.
